


in this tire swing

by amortentialarry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Cute, Ed Sheeran is mentioned once, Endgame Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, M/M, More Fluff, a tiny bit of angst but it's pretty short so, but you know, i love love love when harry dresses up for louis, not in a sexual way - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-07-10 06:32:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6970069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amortentialarry/pseuds/amortentialarry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s a crunching sound disturbing the silence, drawing closer. Louis keeps his eyes closed, determined to hold onto the peace that’s hanging in the air of his childhood home. The snap of leaves underfoot continues, and Louis quietly murmurs, “Mum, please, I’m trying to enjoy my afternoon.”</p><p>“It’s uh, not your mum.”</p><p>-</p><p>or, the one where louis comes back after moving away and harry has got new boots.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in this tire swing

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this fic (fluff, as always) a little differently. i just played a little playlist and wrote. so the mood changes kind of abruptly at times because the song changed haha.
> 
> i included the playist at the end notes!! :D enjoy - h

**** Louis is in his old backyard, sitting in the tire swing hanging from the oak tree, his toes barely brushing the green grass. He closes his eyes, a gentle wind rustling through the leaves overhead, coaxing a few of them to drift down to the ground and decorate the lawn with brown patches.

There’s a crunching sound disturbing the silence, drawing closer. Louis keeps his eyes closed, determined to hold onto the peace that’s hanging in the air of his childhood home. The snap of leaves underfoot continues, and Louis quietly murmurs, “Mum, please, I’m trying to enjoy my afternoon.”

“It’s uh, not your mum.”

Louis’ eyes fly open, and he stands abruptly, one hand still clutching the frayed rope holding the tire to the tree. 

Harry looks at him, his expression somewhat sheepish. His knees are turned inwards and the sleeves of his olive green sweater drape past his wrists, swallowing most of his hands and leaving just the tips of his fingers visible.

Louis has to fight to remain upright. The last time he saw that sweater, they were going out to the club. Harry had worn that very same too-large olive sweater with black skinny jeans and his signature scuffed brown boots. His hair had been pulled out of his face with a headscarf.

Louis has flashbacks of the night. Harry pulling the sleeves back so that his hands are free to grab at Louis, pulling him closer under the flashing lights, the bass shaking the dance floor beneath them. Louis sliding his hands under those sleeves, gripping Harry’s forearms, drunk on cocktails, drunk on Harry, drunk on the loving gaze that came from eyes that were the precise color of the sweater, drunk on those pink lips that were always stretched into a smile when Harry was tipsy.

He doesn’t even have to close his eyes for the memories to play before his eyes as clearly as if he were watching a movie. Flashes of Harry; his hair, his lips, his hands, his eyes, his laugh, his sigh. All. Gone.

And then memories of the next morning. The hangover. Waking up on the floor, his face smushed against the carpet, eyes burning because he hadn’t bothered to take out his contacts. Harry laughing at him because one side of his hair was sticking up so that his hair resembled a ski jump, gloating because Harry didn't drink nearly enough to get hungover. And then, when Harry was done laughing, he cooked him pancakes and gave him aspirins and strong coffee and lounged with Louis on the couch while he slowly got over his hangover and realized that he was falling in love with his best friend.

Louis knows that he loved Harry for  _ much _ longer than he realized. Harry, his best friend, who had the most beautiful soul and was blessed with the most beautiful face as well. Harry, who flirted with everyone and seduced everyone with his smile, with his curls, with his stupid jokes-

Louis returns to the present, staring at Harry, trying to find something to say but somehow unable to say anything. He can feel his heart curling in on itself, trying to protect itself from the pain Louis had forced upon it. Louis had fallen in love naively, without thinking.

Harry always looked regretful afterwards, for the short time they spent before Louis decided that it was too much to have to stay and look into Harry’s eyes and love him and know that Harry didn’t love him back. 

“I heard you were back in town,” Harry says quietly, his fingers toying with a loose string on the hem of his sweater. “I-”

“Yeah, I’m just visiting my mum for the weekend. Haven’t been around,” Louis answers shortly, falling back into the tire swing and fixing his gaze firmly on his beat up sneakers.

“You’re telling me,” Harry murmurs, but his voice is humorless. “What have you been up to?”

_ Dreaming about you.  _

“Eh, not that much, honestly,” Louis says vaguely, shrugging and spinning around on the tire. “I have a job in the city, you know, and I decided it was time I got out of the suburbs and tried living on my own for a while. A change of scenery, you know.”  _ A change from you _ .

A tense silence follows, Louis’ unspoken words hanging in the air.

Louis wants to know what Harry’s thinking. He’s always wanted to know what Harry’s thinking, what’s really going on behind those green eyes, what he’s really dying to let slip.

He spent the last six months away, thinking about himself and Harry, mostly the latter. He spent most of his time wishing that he’d kept his mouth shut. He spent a lot of time wondering what Harry’s answer had meant...

_ “Me? You’re in love… with me?” _

_ Louis smiled, tears falling down his face. “Yes, you idiot, you. I’m in love with you and I can’t… I can’t keep it to myself anymore. I’m in love with you and it’s breaking me inside to try and pretend otherwise.” _

_ Harry’s mouth fell open, his eyes huge. He was a deer caught in headlights. “I-” _

_ Louis’ heart shattered, but he pressed on, sure that if he kept talking, he’d feel better. “You’re my best friend,” he said. “And I love you.” _

_ “Lou… since when?” _

_ Louis was crying in earnest, because he was starting to recognize the look on Harry’s face, that tone in his voice. Hadn’t he seen Harry reject countless girls at the clubs they’d hit over the years? _

_ “Since that one night, when you wore that damn olive green sweater. Since I realized that I was absolutely enamored and I’ve been so scared to tell you but now… this is it. I just have to tell you. I just have to lay it all down and pray to the God that I don’t even believe in that you’ll say something to keep me together, because honestly, I’m falling apart, Harry. I love you so much I don’t know what to do,” Louis spilled. _

_ “Lou… fuck. I can’t. I can’t right now. Please understand, you’re my best friend. I love you too but right now…” _

Louis takes a deep breath and looks up at Harry. “Did you wear that sweater on purpose?”

Harry looks surprised. “What?”

“That sweater. The one that you wore… that night,” Louis says lamely, trying not to wince at Harry’s confused expression. He doesn’t even remember.

“Oh.” Comprehension crosses Harry’s face, and his mouth twitches as though he wants to smile. “I didn’t really think about it, honestly. I just heard from my mum that you were back, and I just…”

“You just what, Harry?” Louis asks, irritation starting to spark up because he can feel it happening again. He knows that six months away did absolutely nothing; he’s still just as desperately in love with Harry as he was when he first realized it.

**** “I just wanted to look good,” Harry whispers, and Louis’ mouth falls open, his scowl falling away. Harry catches his expression and hastens on, “I haven’t seen you in six months, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to see you today, but I figured if I was, I might as well look nice so you’ll have a good memory of me.” His expression falls. "I honestly thought you'd forgotten me.

“God, you are an idiot,” Louis says, standing up and walking towards Harry. He’s forgotten how much shorter he is. “I have done nothing but think of you and how good you look. My memory is too good, Harry.”

“So nothing’s changed?” Harry asks, and Louis sucks in a sharp breath. 

“That’s one way of putting it,” Louis mutters, looking down at their feet. Harry got new boots while he was away. It's the same color as the little sofa they had during  their third year of university. 

It brings up a memory.  Harry completely wasted, falling into their dorm room with a drunken smile plastered on his face, cheeks flushed.

_ “Louis!” he slurred as he tripped and fell to the floor, giggling. “Louis, come  here to me, you pretty, pretty boy.” _

_ Louis looked down at his roommate from the couch with an exasperated smile. “What do you  want, loser?” _

_**** “You,” Harry said breathlessly, chin on the floor, looking up at Louis through his eyelashes, beaming. “I want  you , Lou.” _

_ Louis grinned. “Well then, come and get me.” _

_ Harry clambered to his feet and fell onto Louis, his long limbs draping over him. “Lou-Lou,” he whispered into his ear, giggling softly. _

_ Louis rearranged him so that he was properly seated on his lap. “Why’re you sitting on  my lap? I’m the princess here,” he said with a laugh. _

_ Harry nuzzled his face into Louis’ neck. “Are you still seeing Eleanor?” _

_ Louis was surprised with the question, but he shook his head. “No, I’ve decided that women  really aren’t for me,” he answered. “Why?” _

_ “Just wondering,” Harry said coyly, his lips brushing Louis’ neck as he answered. “I’m a curious, curious boy.” _

_ “Okay, someone’s not making sense,” Louis said, trying to push Harry off his lap onto the sofa, but Harry clung tight, his nose on Louis’ jaw, inhaling deeply. _

_ “I make perfect sense,” Harry argued, pouting. After a moment he said, “Everything makes sense when I’m with you.” _

_ Louis’ heart stopped for a moment. Harry’s slur was gone, and his green eyes seemed deeper than usual. _

_ “Okay,” Louis whispered, and Harry nodded. _

_ “I mean it,” he whispered back, a slow smile spreading across his face. _

_ Louis looks at the Harry in front of him, the words of Harry from two years ago echoing in his ears, wondering if there’s  any way they could be from the same person. _

_ Everything makes sense when I’m with you . _

“Do you remember third year university?” Louis asks quietly, dropping his gaze because he doesn’t think he can stand to look at Harry and ask the next question.

After a moment, Harry answers, “Yes.”

“Do you remember what you said to me once, when you came home plastered-”

“I wasn’t drunk.”

Louis’ head snaps up, and he stares at Harry. “What?”

Harry blushes, eyes fixed on the ground. “Er, I wasn’t drunk. At all. I mean, I think I had a sip of Ed’s beer, but otherwise, that’s it. I wasn’t drunk. I was acting.”

Louis stares at him until Harry looks back up at him. “You should’ve been the drama major, between us,” he says wryly, and Harry cracks a weak smile.

“I meant what I said,” Harry says, gaze dropping again. “It still holds true.”

“Then-”

“Then why did I tell you that I couldn’t? Because I really couldn’t. Louis, I was so in love with you it scared me. You were on my mind all the time, and it hurt so much to know I’d hurt you, to know that I’d sent you away when all I wanted was to have you in my arms. I’ve been in love with you for so long, and God, knowing that you loved me back was the best thing in the world.”

Louis’ fingers fidget with his belt loop for a moment before he finally asks, “Why couldn’t you?”

**** Harry looks up at Louis. “I needed to figure myself out. We were fresh out of uni. You had a job and a steady outlook to move up, move forward. I was just this lame English major who walked out of university without a single clue of who I was or what I was doing. The only thing I was sure of was that I loved you. I never doubted that we could work, but I also needed to know that I worked as my own person, too. I never doubted how much I loved you, I never doubted that if you loved me, we would be perfect. But I wanted to give you the best me that I could.”

“Why didn’t you say that then?” Louis asks, and Harry laughs bitterly.

“Because you caught me off guard,” he says, hand twitching towards Louis as though he was going to caress his face. “And when I got my wits back, I knew you were going to tell me that I was perfect the way I was, when it wasn’t true.”

“You’re probably right,” Louis admits, shuffling his feet, leaves scraping underfoot. “No, you’re definitely right. Harry, I was enamored with you. I worshipped everything about you.”

“I would have said yes to you,” Harry says, looking into Louis’ eyes. “I would have said yes, but then gotten frustrated with myself and left. I wouldn’t have stayed away forever, but I don’t think I could have lived with the guilt and pain of hurting you like that. Saying yes and then turning around and walking away, turning around and saying no and going back on every promise. Even if it was all about myself and not you. I wouldn’t hurt you for anything. I wouldn’t have gone back to you for fear of hurting you again.

“It was the right relationship at the wrong time,” he continues. “I loved you, you loved me, but the time wasn’t right.”

“When’s the right time?” Louis asks. “Is there one?”

Harry’s hand tentatively grabs Louis, and Louis’ breath audibly hitches. Harry smiles.

“How about now?”

Louis smiles, squeezing Harry’s fingers, their interlocked fingers hidden in Harry’s sleeve.

“I think now is perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> playlist:  
> 1\. SUBURBIA - Troye Sivan  
> 2\. Drunk In Love - Beyonce ft. Jay-Z  
> 3\. Stella - All Time Low  
> 4\. Secret Love Song, Pt. II - Little Mix  
> 5\. Painting Flowers - All Time Low  
> 6\. Truly Madly Deeply - One Direction  
> 7\. No Idea - All Time Low  
> 8\. Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart - Ariana Grande  
> 9\. The Feeling - Justin Bieber ft. Halsey  
> 10\. Down - Jay Sean  
> 11\. LOST BOY - Troye Sivan
> 
> If you have any songs that you think would make good fics, please do let me know! :D


End file.
